Chapter 71

The rescue operation meeting started out of nowhere.

The agenda: rescuing the captured comrades and Spirits, and retaliation. From what I could hear, it seemed they had been brewing this plan for quite some time.

『Tiamat. Is this actually going to be okay?』

『To speak plainly, it is extremely dangerous. The information comes from the Elven hunters, so it is reliable, but still…』

『There are only five of us, which isn’t many…』

The five of us whispered secretly via Telepathy.

The scope of the plan was massive—so much so that I honestly wondered if such a strategy was even feasible. It involved infiltrating the slave traders’ dens and the estates of the nobles who bought the captives, rescuing everyone, and then retaliating against every single person involved in the poaching. It was an outrageous undertaking.

To be honest, we were still lacking information. First off, it wasn’t even certain if the abducted Elves were still within that country. The Elf who provided the intel said they hadn’t crossed the border yet, but would a cunning noble really transport them in a way that was so easily tracked?

…I guess I’ll have to be the one to go.

“Excuse me, may I say something?”

“Yes. What is it, Lord Ryu?”

“I’d like to go to that country myself to gather information. You haven’t actually entered the slave traders’ facilities to confirm things with your own eyes, have you? Since I’m human, I can infiltrate as a customer. Could you tell me which slave traders are holding the Elves?”

My suggestion caused a stir among the surrounding Elves. Some wanted to take me up on the offer to confirm the internal situation, while others argued that we should act immediately regardless of such details.

“Quiet! Everyone, quiet! Lord Ryu, that is a generous offer, but isn’t it dangerous?”

“The people who came here to capture you are one thing, but slave traders are merchants at their core. They won’t suddenly attack a customer who clearly has money. I have funds, so depending on the price, I think I can buy back at least one Elf.”

“Is that true?!”

“However, please understand that I can’t guarantee which Elf I’ll be able to buy.”

If I didn’t set that boundary now, I could see them all begging me to buy back their specific children or wives.

“Papa, are you going to be okay? Did you have that much money?”

“Ryu, you talk recklessly sometimes. You can’t possibly have enough gold to buy several slaves.”

“Then I’ll just make some.”

“…Huh?”

“I said if I don’t have enough, I’ll just make more. I’ll just hunt a few monsters, keep the parts in good condition, and take them to the Guild.”

Besides, selling those expensive jewels I picked up back in Lutenhill Diamond Mine should fetch a decent sum. Well, considering a single Giant Boar hide went for 60 gold coins, hunting a large monster should be good money.

“So, Elder Al, are there any troublesome monsters around here? I’ll hunt them and turn them into cash.”

“Well, I did hear from the Spirit King that some insect-type monsters have appeared recently and he wants them dealt with.”

“Then I’ll go hunt those. Also, could you ask the Spirit King if I can borrow some Wind Spirits as a reward? And some gold, if he has any.”

“I-I understand. The monsters we need suppressed are called ‘Poison Spiders.’ They’ve settled in the forest and are causing damage. Their fangs carry a lethal poison, so please be careful! I’ll call a guide for you now—”

“No, I’m facing an opponent whose ecology I don’t know well, so I’ll go alone. Besides, I have the ‘Poison Nullification’ skill, so don’t worry.”

“I see… No, we must at least send one person with you. To do less would be a disgrace to the Elven name.”

“Well… thank you.”

I honestly didn’t need one, though. Oh well, a guide is fine.

After much bustling and arguing over who should go, the Elves finally selected one Elven girl. She was a beauty with short blonde hair and a feminine, curvaceous figure. Her eyes were perhaps a bit sharp.

“I am Fania Bre Gill. I will be your guide.”

“I’m Ryu. Nice to meet you, Fania.”

“Yes! Right this way.”

And so, I headed off to suppress the Poison Spiders. By the way, my partners stayed behind to guard the village. This wasn’t a hunt for food but for profit, so I didn’t bring them along. Ril wasn’t interested, Karin would just burn everything to a crisp, and Ouka would likely just crush them with brute force, so they were out. Tiamat could have handled it perfectly, but as our strongest combatant, I asked her to use her power to defend the village. I kept Telepathy open just in case, but I figured I wouldn’t need it.

“Lord Ryu, are you truly human?”

“…Where did that come from?”

“No, it’s just… it is quite difficult to imagine a human who could claim victory over Lady Tiamat.”

It seemed Fania was just asking something that had been genuinely bothering her.

“Well, it’s like this. As long as a human doesn’t give up, things usually work out somehow, right?”

“Is that really all there is to it?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. That’s actually how I’ve been winning.”

There might be more to it, but that explanation was good enough.

“So, how many spiders are there?”

“The last time we checked, there were three.”

“It looks like that information is pretty outdated.”

The sound of footsteps wasn’t three spiders… it was ten… no, maybe twenty.

“That can’t be…”

Fania’s face turned desperate as she finally grasped the situation. Don’t go falling into despair over something like this.

“Just focus on your own safety here. I’m going to do some pest control.”

I wonder if these sell for a high price?

“Lord Ryu?!”

“I’m catching bugs, obviously.”

Avoiding the webs, I used Rou to pierce the spiders’ heads and kill them. It was a simple task that was over in a flash.

“Alright, let’s harvest the parts.”

I sheathed Rou and spoke to Fania, but I didn’t get a reply, so I just ended up collecting everything by myself.